A plan to resurface the entirety of Madison Street and narrow the roadway to just one lane in each direction is expected to be voted on by the Oak Park Village Board in mid-November.

During a presentation Oct. 29, village staff detailed the estimated $5.6 million project, which would resurface Madison Street in Oak Park, from Harlem Avenue to Austin Boulevard.

As part of the “road diet,” Madison Street would be decreased from two lanes in each direction to one, and new protected and buffered bike lanes would be added.

Village engineer Bill McKenna said the project is currently out for bid, and a contract with the lowest responsible bidder is expected to be presented to the village board on Nov. 19. If approved, construction would take place throughout 2019.

“There would be a buffered bike lane the full length of Madison,” McKenna said. “The last time Madison was resurfaced was 2005. It’s getting to the end of its useful life.”

Officials hope the reduced lanes, similar to Roosevelt Road at the village’s southern border, will slow down Madison Street traffic and increase safety and walkability in the area.

According to McKenna, cars traveling on Madison Street go about 35 mph but could slow to an average of 25 mph with the proposed changes.

“It shrinks the level of comfort for the driver, and they tend to drive slower,” McKenna said. “Drivers tend to drive the speed they are comfortable driving. With the changes with the road diet, we should get compliance with that.”

Critics of the plan worry drivers, frustrated by increased traffic times, would spill over into nearby residential streets, which could affect the plans to improve safety.

“If any of you have driven in Forest Park, you’re going down side streets when it’s crowded,” resident Ian Silber said. “What is going to work on Madison is population density. The reason you see it work with all these bars and restaurants in Forest Park is there’s density. That’s what’s going to do it. Not slowing down traffic so they can’t come to Oak Park.”

Resident Brett Williams, however, spoke in support of the plan as a way to help schoolchildren who must cross Madison Street each day.

“What it’s going to take for [a road diet] to happen is a horrible tragedy,” Williams said. “Every day, I see eighth-graders darting across to the other side of Madison in between stop lights and hear cars slamming on their brakes. This is a very intelligent community, and I think we can act proactively before the tragedy happens.”

Members of the group Bike Walk Oak Park also spoke in support of the plan.

“There will be more places to cross safely and ways to move up and down the street,” resident Sylvia Schweri said. “I think we’ve all experienced the niceness of Madison to the west in Forest Park. We’re going to connect with that and get that type of shopping district experience.”

The plan includes phased implementation options for potential streetscape improvements to a small section of Madison Street. A streetscape plan between Oak Park and East avenues could take place in 2020, pending board approval. Officials said the project could be completed in conjunction with Jupiter Realty’s proposed redevelopment project for the area, which would bring a new Pete’s grocery and a senior living facility to the street.

“Right now, the intent would be to finalize the design in 2019,” McKenna said. “We’d hope to build in 2020 in conjunction with any kind of development job.”

A future streetscape plan between Home and Oak Park avenues is not currently scheduled for construction, but it could be built in conjunction with a future developer. The 2019 village budget includes $300,000 in Madison Street tax increment financing district funds to complete preliminary design of that streetscape phase.

“This is really the starting point,” McKenna said. “We have $300,000 in TIF funds to take that to a conceptual design phase. That will give us plans if there is any future development in that corridor. We would give [developers] guidelines to show how they should build their streetscape frontage.”

Board members appeared supportive of the road diet, but some were hesitant to commit to streetscape elements.

“We’re talking about spending money to undo a previous streetscape,” Oak Park Trustee Deno Andrews said. “Let’s be cautious that moving curbs and benches and utilities, it can likely get undone before it pays off. I have fundamental issues with Oak Park Avenue and Madison Street looking like a country club.”

Trustee Dan Moroney said he would like to see options for removing the decorative medians in the roadway, which he felt are significant safety issues to drivers attempting to make turns onto Madison Street.

“When you turn left onto Madison, it’s a dangerous experience, and the crash data reflects that,” Moroney said. “For safety, I think it’s worth the effort. I think it’s an imperfect road diet with those medians in place.”

While the bids are currently out and cannot be changed, village manager Cara Pavlicek said staff would attempt to provide additional information to trustees when the item is voted on Nov. 19.